Sunday, January 5, 2014

For more than 25 years, Randy and Doreen Fosgard made the trek from their home in St. Clair, Michigan to vacation near the Sleeping Bear Dunes area of Northwest Michigan. Drawn to the outdoors and everything the Traverse City and Leelanau Peninsula region had to offer, they explored the lakeshore, natural sites and cultural attractions with their children – Dane and Julianne.

When an opportunity to relocate to Lake Ann came about in May, 2012 they couldn’t resist. That summer, they managed the Sleeping Bear Resort – spread out on 450 feet of frontage on the 40-acre Herendeene Lake. Just six months later (December 27, 2012), they purchased the resort and have just celebrated their first year as owners of the property.

“With Dane at Lake Superior State University and Julianne at Grand Valley State University, we decided it was time to pursue a dream,” says Randy.

Founded in 1971 as the Herendeene Lake Resort, the property was owned by the Mark Gabrick family from 1999 until 2012 – becoming the Sleeping Bear Resort in 2007. With its six cabins, five bedroom log home and six bedroom remodeled farm home, the resort can accommodate as many as 60 guests at any given time. Located 15 miles from Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and Traverse City, the year-round property offers countless on-site and nearby activities.

“We often take rides into the Leelanau Peninsula and visit the wineries and the little villages of Empire, Glen Arbor, Lake Leelanau, Leland, Northport and Suttons Bay,” Randy says. “The people in Northwest Michigan are so friendly and they all seem to have a smile on their face – that’s part of what attracted us to the area and makes us feel at home here.”